Teelie
Fish Aficionado
I have a dilemma; I just bought a 40g breeder tank with a stand but other than critter cage tops, the store had no glass or aquarium lids. I have three options; buy a glass top for a 30g (same size except the depth, a sizable difference) and make do with some mesh for the gap, buy a pair of glass lids that require a middle brace (which mine lacks) or create my own lid (we have a custom glass fabricator in the area).
The first option is the easiest but not necessarily the best. I can get a glass top for it with the back panel and make due with some plastic mesh to cover the gap but it would look kind of ugly, and I have no canopy at the moment. This aquarium is going in the foyer, where people will come in and out of the house regularly and see it.
The second is better but requires me to fabricate myself a middle strip that will match the size and color of the rest of the tank. The only problem here is finding the right type of medium to use. Wood, that won't rot and can support the weight, or plastic that will hold the weight but not have any unintended side effects such as toxins if water accumulation causes some kind of damage and drips back into the tank.
The third is the best; a lid that fits perfectly to my specifications but will be the most expensive. I'd have to also get a bending strip for the glass parts so I can open and close the lid without taking the entire top off, something that might add more to the expense.
What should I do? I could probably make the middle brace myself but are there any hidden or inobvious dangers to making a strip and setting it in the middle of the tank? From the surface of it, I can't see how there would be a problem cutting a slice of wood or plastic and sticking it there but it would be supporting two panes of glass on the top in the center where before there was no center brace.
All of this would be moot if anyone knew a place that sold 40 gallon breeder lids online. I've looked at my usual sources (Fosters and Smith, That Pet Place, AquaBid, Google) and other than whole aquariums and pick-up only, found zip.
The first option is the easiest but not necessarily the best. I can get a glass top for it with the back panel and make due with some plastic mesh to cover the gap but it would look kind of ugly, and I have no canopy at the moment. This aquarium is going in the foyer, where people will come in and out of the house regularly and see it.
The second is better but requires me to fabricate myself a middle strip that will match the size and color of the rest of the tank. The only problem here is finding the right type of medium to use. Wood, that won't rot and can support the weight, or plastic that will hold the weight but not have any unintended side effects such as toxins if water accumulation causes some kind of damage and drips back into the tank.
The third is the best; a lid that fits perfectly to my specifications but will be the most expensive. I'd have to also get a bending strip for the glass parts so I can open and close the lid without taking the entire top off, something that might add more to the expense.
What should I do? I could probably make the middle brace myself but are there any hidden or inobvious dangers to making a strip and setting it in the middle of the tank? From the surface of it, I can't see how there would be a problem cutting a slice of wood or plastic and sticking it there but it would be supporting two panes of glass on the top in the center where before there was no center brace.
All of this would be moot if anyone knew a place that sold 40 gallon breeder lids online. I've looked at my usual sources (Fosters and Smith, That Pet Place, AquaBid, Google) and other than whole aquariums and pick-up only, found zip.
We've got a few large sheets left over from an old home-improvement project that might work.
